Conveying apparatus



No'. 608,578. Patented Aug. 9, |898. J. T. cowLEY.

CONVEYING APPARATUS.

(Appxiwion filed Nov. 10, 1896.) (N0 Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet l.

Patented Aug. 9, |898.

J. T. CUWLEY.

CONVEYING APPARATUS.

(Application led Nov. 10, 1896.)

3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

i (No Model.)

Yeas co, Murau-mo, wAsHmcJoN. u cv No. 608,578 f Patented Aug. 8, |898.

, J. T. cowLEY.

convzvma APPARATUS.

(Application filed. Nov. 10, 1896.) (No Modal.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

me wams PETERS cn, worum-mo.. wAsmNcToN. n. c

UNITED STATES PATENT EETCE.

LAMSoN CONSOLIDATED SToEE'sERvIcE COMPANY, oE NEWARK NEW JERSEY.

CONVEYING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 608,578, dated August 9, 1898. Application mea November 10, 1896. Seriana. 611,585. (Nomad.)

. Lowell, county of Middlesex, and State 'of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Conveying Apparatus, of whichthe following is a specication; and I hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,wh ich will enable Yothers skilled in` the art to which it appertains 'to make and use the same. i i I My invention relates to improvements in conveying apparatus, and especially to the class of conveying apparatus known as cable carriers 5 andit has for its object to provide means on vtheseveral tracks converging'at the terminal stationg'whereby carriers belonging to a certain' track canengage only the propelling-cable of said-track when placed thereon at the terminal station and be propelled to the station to which they belong.

My invention consists of certain novel features hereinafter described, and particularly pointed out in the claims;

In the accompanying drawin gs,whichvil1us trate a construction 'embodying-my invention, Figures l and 2 represent, respectively, a plan and a side'view of aline composed of'an upper and a lower track' entering the terminal station or cashiers desk. Fig. 3 isi'a detail perspective view showing the gripping mechanism on the carrier engaging with the cable. Fig. l is a Vdetail plan' view showing the means whereby a carrieron a'track to which it does notbelong is preventedffrom' engag-V ing the cable. Fig. 5 is a side view showing the carrier on 'the track with its gripping mechanism engaging the cable. Fig. G is a'n end view of the carrier. of the forwarding and return track at the terminal station or cashiers desk. Fig. '8 is 'a plan View of six lines entering the terminal station and showing the carriers placed'on the tracks to which'they belong to. be propelled to the stations from which they came. Like letters of reference refer to like parts throughout the several views.

The two opposite railsA' form the forwardin g-track-A` and are supported and irmly setheir respective stations. placed-1n dierent positions on said carriers Fig. 7 is a plan view y carrier is applied to the forwarding-track A.

vThe carrier D is adapted to engage with a cable C, running over pulleys E, mounted in the lugsV E on said standard X and. connected to and drivenby a suitable Vdriving mechanism.V The carrier D is provided-with a cover D', heldin a closed position by a suitable spring-catch which is adapt-ed to be operated yby a push-button D2.to release the cover D,

and the spri'ngD3will'throw up the cover D' and openthe interior` of the carrier.

yD4`represents suitable switching pins or lugs by which the carriers are switched at These lugs are to correspond with switch-guides at different stations along the"line,'so that the carriers can be switched at the stations desired.

The lever D5 is provided with a pin D6, upon which the 'gripping-jaws -D8 are pivotally mounted, and saidrlever Ds is journaled in suitable lugs'D7 on the rear Side of the carrier. These'jaws Dsare each provided with a cam-slot D9,wh'ich works upon the stud D10, secured tothe'endof the carrier, and said eamislotsfDQA are of .such formthat the jaws will be open as'the lever Dis lowered in position to'cause the jaws D8 to engage with the cable .Og as shown in dotted lines, Fig. 6. Vhenthe lever D5 is released, the spring D11, located at the back of theV carrier and around the leverD5 between the lugs D7, will operate to raisethe leverDs and close the jaws DS. upon the'propelling-cable C. (Shown in Figs. 3 and 5.)

D12 is a plate secured to the bottom of the carrier by Screws D13, and said plate is provided with ears D11, which are adapted to pass under the rails A of the track A and hold the carrier thereon, as said ears extend beyond the said rails A', excepting where said rails A are bulged at A2 to permit a carrier being placed on said rails. Y D15 represent friction-rollers mounted on the screws D13 and free to revolve'thereon, and the object of these rollers'is to reduce the friction caused by the carriers traveling along the track, around the corners, and into the stations.

The rails Al are secured to the bracket A3, located near the standard X, and to the upper end of said standard X there is secured a camplate A1, and to the lower end of said camplate there is secured a flat plate A, provided with a transverse slot A, from which there leads a longitudinal slot AT. F rom said plate A5 there extends a rod AS for a purpose hereinafter described. As the carrier is placed on the tomvarding-traek by the cashier where the tracks are shown as bulged at rV 2 and is pushed by hand, as is usual in all cable carriers, the end of the lever D5 passes under the cam-plate Al and lower plate A5. Now as said carrier is pushed and said lever is pressed down by the cam-plate A'l the gripping-jaws Diare opened to the position shown in Fig. t3, and when the pin F on the end of the lever D registers with the slot A7 the lever D* and the pin F will pass up tlnough the slots A and A7, and owing to the spring l)11 the gripping-jaws DS will close upon the cable C, and the carrier will be propelled to the station to which it belongs. (See Fig. Now it a carrier belonging to another track wasplaeed by mistake upon the track shown in Fig. 3 the pin F would not register with the slot A7, (see Fig. l-,) and consequently the lever D could not pass up through the slot A, but upon the continued pushing by the cashier the lever D would pass under the rod A", which may be of any desiredlengt-h. The said leverD"y passing under said rod A would prevent the jaws D*y closing on the cable, and the carrier would remain in the position to which moved by the cashier7 who, observing that the carrier did not grip the cable, would readily understand the dilticulty and withdraw said carrier from said track and place it upon the track to which it belonged. The guide-rod A serves to steady the carrier as the lever Di passes under the cam-plate A1. rlhe carriers are sent into the cashiers station from the clerks stations on the lower track D, composed of the opposite rails l, and said rails are bulged out at llv the same as track A at A`3 (see Figs. il and in order to allow the carriers to be removed, because the distance between the rails l l where bulged is greater than the distance between the ears DIl of the plate D. The rods lll, located on the opposite sides of the rods ll, serve to keep the carriers on the return-track l1 as they pass into the terminal station.

D* represents a suitable bumper against which thc carriers strike when coming in on the return-track, and lli is a suitable brace connecting the rails l'.

f-eferring now to Fig. S, it will be seen that the pins F and the slots Afare dii'terently located for each track running into the terminal station, and said pins and slots are so arranged that the pin F of the carriers belonging to a certain track will register only with.

the slot AT of the plate A5 of said track, so that the gripping mechanism on the carriers belonging to a certain track will engage only the cable of said track. lt will be seen from said figure that the lever D5 and pin F ot each carrier will register with the slots A" and A'7 of the track on which the carrier is placed upon reaching said slots, and upon said lever and pin passing upwardly through said slots the gripping-jaws D will close upon and grip the cable and the carrier will be propelled. It will also be seen that the lever D5 and pin F of cach carrier will register only with the slots AG and Alot the track on which said carriers are shown placed in said Fig. q. Consequently carriers belonging to a certain track will be propelled only to the station from which they came.

From the foregoing description it will be understood that; although several cable-lines, each composed of an upper and alowertrack and of the same general construction, enter one terminal station from various parts ot the store yet by the mechanism above described, even though the carriers become mixed at the terminal station and are placed by the cashier on the return-track ot the wrougline, the gripping mechanism ot the carriers wrongly placed will not operate to engage the cable of and be propelled on the wrong track. Consequently the carriers running into a terminal station on the severa-l lines can only be propelled on the tracks to which they belong for return to the clerks or salesmen from whom they came.

l do not limit myselt to the arrangement and construction shown, as the same maybe varied without departing from the spirit of my invention.

1What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters latent ot the United States, is-

l. In a conveying apparatus, the combination ot the tracks and propelling-cable with a terminal station into which said tracks enter, carriers adapted to travel. on said tracks and each provided with a gripping mechanism for engaging the cable, and mechanism on each track at said terminal station tor operating the gripping mechanism of the carriers to bring said gripping mechanism into position to grip the cable, mechanism tor causingsaid gripping mechanism to grip thccable, the grippi ng mechanism of the carriersbelongin to a certain track and the said grip-operating mechanism of said track being provided with registering parts whereby only carriers belonging to a certain track can grip the cable of said track and be propelled thereon.

2. ln a conveying apparatus, the combination of the tracks and propelling-cable with a terminal station into which said tracks enter, carriers adapted to travel on said tracks and each provided with a gripping mechanism for engaging' the cable, a lever connected to said gripping mechanism and adapted to operate the same, and a cam on each track at said terminal station for operating said lever t0 IOO IOS

operate the gripping mechanism of the carriers to bring said gripping mechanism into position to grip the cable, mechanism for causing said gripping mechanism to grip the cable, the said lever of the gripping mechanism on the carriers belonging to a certain track and the cam of said track being provided with registering parts whereby only carriers belonging to a certain track can grip the cable 0f said track and be propelled thereon.

3. In a conveying apparatus, the combination of the tracks and propelling-cable With a terminal station into Which said tracks en ter, carriers adapted to travel on said tracks and each provided With a gripping mechanism for engaging the cable, a lever connected to said gripping mechanism and adapted t0 operate the same and provided With a projecting pin, and a camcn each track at the said terminal station for operating said lever to actuate the gripping mechanism of the carriers to bring said gripping mechanism into position to grip the cable and provided With slots through which said actuating-lever and pin pass to cause the engagement of the gripping mechanism and cable, mechanism located on the carriers for causing said gripping mechanism to grip the cable, the said lever and pin on the carriers belonging to a certain track being adapted to register with the slots ofthe cam of said track whereby only carriers belonging to a certain track can grip the cable of said track and be propelled thereon.

4. In a conveying apparatus, the'combination of the tracks and propelling-cable with a terminal station into which said tracks enter,

.carriers adapted to travel on said tracks and mechanism to grip the cable, the said lever and pin of the carriers belonging t0 a certain track being adapted to register with the slots of the cam of said track whereby onlycarriers belonging to a certain track can grip the cable of said track and be propelled thereon.

In testimonyT whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses, on this 31st day of October, A.,D. 1896.

JAMES T. COIVLEY.

Witnesses:

A. E. DOANE, A. L. MESSER. 

